The German Navy Replenishment ship Frankfurt pictured arriving last year in August at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Tokyo, Japan. Germany’s parliament voted to back a new military service and incentive system following efforts by German Chancellor Friedrich Metz to strengthen the central European country’s armed forces. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
The German parliament on Friday voted to introduce voluntary military service as European nations seek to boost readiness postures sparked by Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Germany’s Bundestag voted 323 to 272 to back the new change following efforts by German Chancellor Friedrich Metz to strengthen the central European country’s army.
In 2011, compulsory military service finally ended under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
It means all 18-year-old Germans — both men and women — will be sent a mandatory questionnaire beginning in January to inquire about their level of interest in joining Germany’s armed forces. But mandatory service, for now, will be replaced by incentives.
Germany was the latest European nation to launch a revised form of updates for military service.
France in November also unveiled a 10-month voluntary military training for 18-year-olds and older.
Last year, Denmark unrolled pans to conscript women into its military as the Nordic nation just north of Germany also sought to boost its military forces.
Meanwhile, students committed to striking Friday in as many as 90 German cities to protest the Bundestag’s latest act. More than 1,500 people were expected to show in Hamburg.
Protest organizers said war “offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods.”
“We don’t want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill,” they wrote on social media.
The government aims to expand Germany’s military to roughly 260,000 from its current 180,000. It hopes to include an additional 200,000 reservists by 2035.
Historic December moments through the years
South Africans honor Nelson MandelaLarge crowds gather outside Nelson Mandela’s former home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton to pay their respects on December 7, 2013. Mandela, former South African president and a global icon of the anti-apartheid movement, died on December 5 at age 95 after complications from a recurring lung infection. Photo by Charlie Shoemaker/UPI | License Photo
